BBC news 2010-08-14 加文本

2010-08-14 BBC

...hold no official Independence Day celebrations other than hoisting the national flag on Saturday in deference to the 14 million people affected by devastating floods. President Zardari is expected to spend the day with survivors in the worst affected regions. International aid agencies have warned of a second wave of deaths due to deadly waterborne diseases. A Red Cross spokesman said there was no clean drinking water available to millions of people. Pakistan's ambassador to the United Nations Zamir Akram told the BBC that there wasn't yet enough international support for the relief effort, but that aid had begun to flow.

"I don't think that Pakistan has been abandoned. I think that the relief assistance that is now emerging is...As the gravity of the situation and the extent of the damage that has been caused by these uNPRecedented floods spreads around the world, the response is growing."

The head of an American-based charity has told the BBC that the people of Niger are now experiencing a famine because of drought. The Africa director of Helen Keller International, Shawn Baker, said drought had wiped out crops and killed livestock.

"If you look in terms of the number of children affected, the way that livestock have been decimated and the population movements that were seen earlier in the year, you certainly can consider a famine situation."

Mr Baker accused the international community of failing to respond to appeals for help for Niger. He said there was a shortfall of $69 million, and unless that could be found, tens of thousands of children would die.

The US state of Alabama is suing BP and Transocean, the two companies it blames for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, for damages. Alabama is the first US state to sue since the Deepwater Horizon rig, owned by Transocean and leased to BP, exploded in April and sent millions of gallons of oil into the sea. Andy Gallacher reports.

Alabama's Attorney General Troy King said BP had inflicted catastrophic harm on the Gulf Coast state. On Thursday afternoon, he filed two lawsuits, one against BP, the other against Transocean, Halliburton and other companies associated with the oil spill. The legal action accuses the companies of damaging Alabama's coastline and economy as well as a failure to adhere to recognize industry standards. The legal action goes against the wishes of Alabama's Governor Bob Riley who has said he hopes to reach an out-of-court settlement.

The German economy, Europe's biggest, has shown its largest three-month growth since reunification over 20 years ago. It grew by 2.2%, mainly spurred by exports but also by strong sales at home. Correspondents say it's unclear whether this was a one-off rise or the start of more general European recovery. Overall, the 16 countries using the euro grew more than expected by 1%, faster than the United States.

World News from the BBC.

Sierra Leone's Human Rights Commission has called on South Africa to hand over uncut diamonds allegedly given to the supermodel Naomi Campbell by the former Liberian President Charles Taylor. It said the diamonds could be sold to raise funds for the thousands affected by Sierra Leone's civil war. Last week, the international court trying Mr Taylor heard that the diamonds had been passed to the South African police.

Immigration officials in Canada have begun processing several hundred people believed to be migrants from Sri Lanka who arrived in a cargo ship at a naval base on Vancouver Island. They are reported to have been at sea for three months. A BBC correspondent says that after giving the new arrivals medical checks, the authorities will try to establish whether any of them are people traffickers or members of the Tamil Tigers.

President Obama has signed legislation aimed at stemming illegal immigration from Mexico and curbing illegal drug running across the border. The measure will provide around 1,500 extra border guards and agents and more unmanned aerial patrol drones.

A crate of Scotch whisky trapped in Antarctic ice for more than a century has finally been opened. The crate was recovered from the hut of the renowned polar explorer Ernest Shackleton. Whisky experts opened it to reveal 11 bottles of Mackinlay's Scotch, carefully wrapped to protect them from the rigours of Shackleton's 1907 expedition. The original recipe for the blend no longer exists, but distillers hope to be able to replicate it. Richard Paterson, a master whisky blender, hopes to be among those who get a chance to gauge its quality.

"It will be put into the nosing glass which is shaped like a tulip, and what I'll do is swirl it around, and then I'll stick my nose right deep into it - not on the top - right into the heart of the glass and allow the aromas to rise. I'll be able to see a whisky that's not been smelt for over 100 years. Now that has to be an honour, that has to be a privilege."

BBC News